


i smash and curse this skin

by topiaries



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Coping, Gen, Implied Non-Con, Past Rape/Non-con, Trauma, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, implied rape, mantis trying to cope, mentions of how mantis got his scars, not through the fire though, ok so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 19:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16124963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topiaries/pseuds/topiaries
Summary: Tretij Rebenok was always a pretty boy. Psycho Mantis needed to put a stop to it.





	i smash and curse this skin

**Author's Note:**

> This is all based off of a headcanon I have, where Mantis didn't actually get his scars through the fire. Please make sure to read the tags for this.  
> Title is from Black Crow by Girls Rituals.

Tretij Rebenok was a foolish, meaningless name. It seemed to perfectly fit the role he was given. That role being, of course, to stand there and look pretty while older soldiers gawped at him. Red, wavy locks cascaded down the sides of his head, interrupted by the thick straps of his gas mask. Whenever anyone asked, the child would tell them that it was so stray thoughts didn’t force itself into his head. It was part of the truth - the other part being that it wasn’t just thoughts that would force themselves in him if they saw his face. The boy -- the young, orphan child -- sometimes wondered if burning his village was worth it. Would they have protected him from this? It was all meaningless, he didn’t need protected. He was old enough and capable enough to take care of himself. He had made sure of that prior to orphaning himself. People were afraid of him, of his abilities, but not everyone saw him as a threat. Evident, by the sound of straps being unbuckled _(Were they his? He never knew)_ and a chuckle forcing itself into him.

*

Tretij Rebenok stood in front of a mirror, taking slow breaths in and out. He never usually needed to gain composure like this. With shaking hands, he removed his gas mask, and took in what he saw looking back at him. What was once rosy cheeks were mutilated nearly beyond recognition. Stitches and scars adorned his face, enough to strike undiluted horror into anyone that dared to look at him without his mask. Stripes of blood and bruises covered his lips, leaving a metallic taste for whoever was unlucky enough to be his next assailant. But of course, that wasn’t deterrent enough. Taking questionable delight in removing most of the cartilage supporting his nose, he only left enough to allow him to breathe through the burning pain. It would all be worth it. He looked like a monster and felt abhorrent. He loathed Tretij Rebenok, but this is what he had to do to survive.

After a couple of weeks, though, the shocked looks subsided. Scarring his face wasn’t enough. He needed to take away all the leverage that those vile, mindless men had over him. What did they always say about him? His “luscious hair” was “too pretty to be ruined”, they muttered after plunging their hands into it, needlessly pulling some out with their selfish desire. Shuddering at the memory, Tretij grabbed scissors with oddly calm hands. He grabbed a lock of his hair, and with a deep intake of breath, he raised his hand and cut. He cut, and cut, and cut. The scissors were blunt, leaving clumps of fiery-red behind, but the boy did not care. It was only when he broke out of his frenzy that he noticed the blood dripping down his forehead. Shrugging and thinking it would be another scar to add to his collection, he looked at his handiwork. In the mirror there was hardly any sign of the boy he had once been. His hair was fragmented, lying in pieces all over the bathroom. For once, Psycho Mantis smiled, and put his gas mask back on _(adjusting the straps to compensate for the extra room he now had)_ as if nothing had happened.

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @habitstrials
> 
> Thanks for reading! Make sure to leave kudos or a comment if you enjoyed!


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